


Let Down Your Guard And Leave Here More Than A Friend

by tardiscrashing



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: First Kiss, First Meetings, Insecure Louis, M/M, repressed sexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-07
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-12 04:09:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2095182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tardiscrashing/pseuds/tardiscrashing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, it’s not that.” Louis took a big gulp of his drink, “Dunno man, it’s just weird. You know all these people and you’re like, in with them. And Nick Grimshaw thinks you’re cool. I mean, you are cool. But like…actual cool people agree with that.”</p>
<p>“You think Grimmy’s cool?” Harry asked, a cheeky grin on his face as he nonchalantly swirled the wine around in his glass.</p>
<p>“You say a word I’ll deny everything.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Down Your Guard And Leave Here More Than A Friend

**Author's Note:**

> title from "Collide" by Go Radio
> 
> This was sitting unfinished in my drafts for a while. Quality not guaranteed.

Louis had his hands shoved in his pockets, following Harry through the house, weaving in and out of people. Harry seemed to be saying hello to everyone. Louis had no clue who half these people were. He recognized a handful, fashion people, a few people from radio 1 who they had met or done interviews with. There was the girl with the bright orange hair who Louis knew was one of Nick’s close friends, but Louis didn’t know her name or really anything about her. Her expression lit up when she saw Harry though, dancing over to him and giving him a loud kiss on the cheek. 

“Great to see you Harry. You look amazing.”

Louis nearly fell over with the weight of how hard he was rolling his eyes right now. 

“And this must be the infamous Mr. Louis Tomlinson. Harold’s told us a lot about you.” She kept her arm around Harry with a comfortable familiarity as she talked, her voice something of a brash American accent. “I’m Aimee.”

“Harold?” Louis raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s just a nickname.” Harry explained.\

“Why?”

“Oh Grimmy likes it.” Aimee replied, rubbing Harry’s chest affectionately. “Speaking of, I think he’s …somewhere over there. He was starting to wonder if you weren’t coming.” 

“I’ll tell him we’re here.” Harry gave Aimee a small kiss on her temple. “Have fun. Come on Lou.”

“Nice to meet you.” Louis said to Aimee, with barely a glance as he followed after Harry once again. 

Nick Grimshaw’s house was big, but the amount of people he had crammed in here had made it feel a lot smaller. Reminded Louis of the parties he and Harry had thrown when they had first moved into their place. Of course, they had the room. Despite Nick’s expansive living room, upstairs, and open kitchen that led out into the garden, Louis was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic.

“Grimmy!” Harry shouted across the mass.

A wavy head of hair styled up in a messy quiff popped up, eyes brightening when he saw Harry.

“Harold! You made it!” 

When they got over to Nick he pulled Harry in for a long hug, playfully lifting him off the floor just so, as Nick wasn’t more than a few inches taller than Harry. His height compared to Louis was more noticeable, and Louis found himself often looking up at Nick through his eyelashes.

“Louis, good to see you.” Nick greeted, giving Louis a friendly, but perhaps not quite as friendly hug. Louis hugged back a bit tentatively, noting how Nick was more toned under his clothes than he would think. Though he didn’t know why his brain chose to hone in on that. He cleared his throat and put on a smirk.

“Nice place Grimshaw. It looks like someone shook out an issue of Heat in your front room.” Louis joked, “Are they all friends of yours?”

“Oh you know. Friends. Friends of friends. Well-dressed strangers who brought alcohol.” Nick laughed as he took a drink from the bottle in his hand, “Speaking of, drinks in the kitchen if you want some. And I think somebody’s making cocktails in there.” 

“Sounds good.” Harry remarked, “Louis?”

“Uh…yeah.”

Nick nodded them toward the kitchen, “Go get you something. I’m going to see who’s manning the stereo. “Nick scowled in the direction of the music, “Hey! Who played this? Henry! Get away from there!” 

Louis continued to follow Harry into the kitchen where a blonde man seemed to be making drinks. Harry settled for a glass of wine, while Louis opted for something stronger, with vodka in it. 

“You nervous?” Harry asked, “I didn’t think crowds bothered you anymore.”

“No, it’s not that.” Louis took a big gulp of his drink, “Dunno man, it’s just weird. You know all these people and you’re like, in with them. And Nick Grimshaw thinks you’re cool. I mean, you are cool. But like…actual cool people agree with that.”

“You think Grimmy’s cool?” Harry asked, a cheeky grin on his face as he nonchalantly swirled the wine around in his glass.

“You say a word I’ll deny everything.” 

Harry sighed, putting an arm around his friend’s shoulder, “My lips are sealed.”

~~~  
By his third…or was it fourth, drink of the night the party had dwindled down to mostly Nick’s closer friends. Aimee, Henry, Pixie Geldof, a lovely girl called Gillian, and Alexa Chung who Louis recognized from something he couldn’t really recall at the moment due to being slightly intoxicated. There was also another older man with dark hair who Harry was chatting too a lot. Everyone else had gathered on and around the couch and had decided to watch a film on TV while they continued to get wasted. 

Louis was starting to get bored.

“Is this what old people do for fun?” He asked to Nick in a sarcastic tone. “I can see why everyone wants to be your pal now.”

“What would you rather be doing Louis?” Nick asked, leaning closer to Louis as he spoke.

Louis chugged down a good portion of his drink, keeping his eyes on Nick’s face as he swallowed. 

“Dunno. Why, you got something in mind?”

“Depends on how drunk you are.” 

Louis may have been younger than Nick, but he wasn’t that naïve. He knew when he was being flirted with. He just wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do about it.   
Louis nervously chuckled, looking up at Nick and those big hazel eyes staring back at him. Louis looked over at Harry, who seemed to silently trying to help him. 

“Um…I’m going to get another drink.” '

He quickly excused himself from the couch and hurried into the kitchen. He wished he could leave out the back, or crawl in a hole or something.   
Grabbing a beer, Louis whirled back around and found Harry standing in front of him.

“Fuck! God, Haz don’t scare me like that!” Louis let out a loud sigh, “What are you doing?”

“I just thought I’d come see if you were okay.”

“Yeah, fine.”

“So you’re having a good time? I was nervous about bringing you because I just really want you and Nick to get on, and I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But he’s really great when you get to know him.”

“Yeah, I think he’s uh….he’s fine.”

Harry looked a little disappointed, “Just fine?”

Louis shrugged, “What do you want me to say Haz? Can we stop with the third-degree? ”

Louis was a bit hesitant to go rejoin the group, to go sit next to Nick and avoid eye contact for the next couple of hours. But he couldn’t hide out in the kitchen all night. Harry put his arm around a still reluctant Louis, leading him back out. “Come on. I’ll protect you if they get nasty.”

~~~  
The film went on, and Louis found himself much more comfortable among these new people. When it was over and everyone started talking, Harry kept Louis in the loop by pulling him in and fill in the blanks so he knew what was going on. Nick kept poking fun at him, teasing him by smacking his arm or ruffling his hair. For the last few minutes Nick had been leaning unnecessarily close to him, breathing against his skin, fingers just brushing his thigh. 

“You should be careful Louis. From the looks of things Grimmy’s trying to seduce you.” Gillian smiled, “So? Is it working?” She laughed at her own joke, and the rest of the group echoed her giggles. Louis’ eyes quickly darted to Harry, who only smiled at him suggestively. He didn’t dare look at Nick.

“Don’t mind her.” Nick waved off the remark, and then continued. “Like, we wouldn’t care even if you were. Gilz has had her fair share.”

“Wha….you….shut up!” Gillian reached to playfully swat at him and everyone laughed.

“Hey, I’ll control my mouth if Tomlinson learns to control his boner.” 

Louis felt a hot wave of embarrassment come over him for the second time that night. He wondered if Nick had noticed his staring, been able to read him or something like that. Louis jumped up from the couch, making straight for the front door. He harshly pulled it open and stepped out into the dark. Harry started after him, but Nick was the one to follow.

Louis scowled at him when he saw the door open. 

“Fuck off Grimshaw. Maybe Harry thinks you’re funny, but I don’t. “

“Aw come on Tomlinson. I was just teasing. Don’t be upset. We were having a good time.”

“I don’t know why I thought I could be friends with you. Harry likes you so fucking much, I thought there must be something I hadn’t noticed yet. But you’re just as much of a wanker as I thought you were. And so’s your friends.”

“Lou…pal…you have to learn not to take things so personally. They were teasing me too. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“They think I’m flirting with you!!”

“Ok? So? Look I can tell them to shut up, they’re just having a laugh alright? Come on Louis, why’re you so upset?”

“Because I am flirting with you!” Louis shouted. He stood then, quiet, looking around, finally back at Nick who had breached the gap between them and was directly in front of Louis. Louis looked up. Nick brought his hand up to tilt Louis’ chin toward him, and bent the distance to the boy’s mouth in an unexpected kiss. Louis mouth molded to Nick’s, his tongue even flicking in teasingly, sucking in a breath and tensing his fingers. Everything seemed to go on pause for a moment before Louis slowly pulled away, looking up at Nick through his lashes once again. 

“You feel anything?”

“Yeah. I feel your slimy lips on my face! Ugh!” Louis wiped his mouth, “I wasn’t serious! It was a joke. You actually thought I was flirting with you? In your dreams Grimshaw!”

Nick rolled his eyes, flipping Louis the finger. 

“I’ll tell Harold you want to go.”

Nick wandered back into the house, the group having momentarily dispersed for more alcohol and wee breaks. Harry stood when Nick came in.

“He alright?”

“He’s fine, but I think you better take your boy home. It’s late anyway. I’m about to kick people out.”

Harry sighed, “Louis’ great, really Grim. He just likes to put up this big front sometimes. You have to get to know him.”

“Well, you tell Louis, that when he decides he wants to talk, call me.”

“Talk about what?”

“He’ll know. Goodnight Harold.”

When Harry went outside, Louis was sat waiting on the step, his back turned, his lips still tingling from Nick’s kiss.


End file.
